Friday, 13 March 2015

Very relaxed boating day for us!

(Boat Chalice - posted by Alan)

"The ones that got away, number 2" "Ajax" languishes on its mooring.

I'm not quite sure how we have taken much of the day to do a relatively small mileage and number of locks - it is not really our usual style, although we have got better about not rushing about when there is no great need. I guess in the back of my mind I knew there was a stack of boats up at the bridge in Woolstone that has been closed for repairs, and that this stoppage was not predicted likely to end before the published time at the end of the afternoon, So not a lot of point in rushing to be part of a procession of boats, really.

Odin observes the action at "Three Locks"

We got up not particularly early, and had a very relaxed breakfast, before getting going, but we knew we were going less than a mile before stopping again. We had promised Dave and Betty from Canal World Forums that we would stop and show off Odin, and they were moored well short of Leighton Buzzard itself. Odin thought meeting Dave and Betty was great fun, and used theextra space available on a wide beam boat to go even more bongers than usual when new people show him a lot of interest. How we avoided coffee pot, milk jug or cups being swept from low tables by his vigorously wagging strong tail I'm not sure, but we managed a visit with no breakages.

Fenny Stratford lock - "Sickle" just visible beyond.

Probably less than another half mile saw us stopping on deserted visitor moorings at Leighton Buzzard to do a supermarket shop, We decided that for once we would have a proper sit down lunch, rather than our regular habit of lunch at the tiller whilst underway. We were not going to break any records today!

"Chalice" passes "Sickle"

To continue the theme of regular stops, I had agreed with Canal World Forum member Allan that we would also stop at his boat, as he had been changing the VHF radio installation on his boat, and needed someone else with VHF in order to check he was sending and receiving voice as he should. I was happt to oblige, and had brought along my portable VHF - not used in many years by us, as we have not been for a long while to anywhere where VHF radio is used

Tied up for the night at Fenny.

Looking at our watches, we were clearly going to not get to the bridge where the stoppage has been by daylight so we pushed on to Fenny Stratfordm where we could do "services" for toilet and rubbish. I quickly also checked out "Sickle" - it seems very odd to realise that if we succeed in selling "Chalice" quickly that this is the last time "Chalice" & "sickle" will be together in our ownership, and I' still having moments of sadness that "Chalice" has to go, as she has served us very well over 10 years now,

Fenny Stratford visitor moorings proved to be quite well occupied, but there were still spaces away from the lock, and we are now tied there, after a really undemanding day.

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